The Trust was successfully awarded a total of £6,500 for their latest application which means that they can provide a full-time Dover Conservation Community Warden for a second year to continue to work closely within the community, engaging local people with the rich natural heritage on their doorstep.

Established in 2014, and independently managed by the Kent Community Foundation, the Port of Dover Community Fund benefits the local community by supporting projects that provide opportunities for people to develop employment skills as well as those offering activities that enrich and improve the social, cultural and environmental life of local communities.

The total amount of financial support provided by the Port Community Fund to date is £520,000, funding 66 projects for 47 local organisations and over 44,000 beneficiaries.

The grant was awarded for the Kent Wildlife project, entitled People Saving Nature: Nature Helping People through which the Community Warden organises and implements a varied programme of community volunteering and training opportunities which bring the community together to improve their local landscape. Since receiving their first Port of Dover Community Fund grant in 2017, over 750 people have been involved, including 460 children. Initiatives include Forest School Training which helps local people find a deeper connection to nature through garden work at care homes, churches, youth clubs and community centres. Involving people in the development of these areas has created a sense of ownership and provided a safe and usable outdoor space for the benefit of local people and wildlife.

Port of Dover Community Social Responsibility Officer, Jenny Beacon said: “The Port of Dover Community Fund continues to provide a wonderful opportunity for local projects to bid for much needed funding to enhance our community.

“The Kent Wildlife Trust Dover Conservation Community Warden is a fantastic project bringing the community together and creating amazing spaces for both people and local wildlife whilst preserving our natural heritage. I’m delighted that it was chosen for funding again this year and wish them every success.”

Kent Wildlife Trust Head of Conservation Delivery and Partnerships, Paul Hadaway said: “We are very grateful to the Port of Dover Community Fund for their continued support and involvement in our Dover project work. Their funding has allowed us to deliver some exciting projects with the communities of Dover, from wildlife gardening, transforming community greenspaces to developing skills and knowledge which allows young people to engage and understand the wild spaces that surround them. We look forward to a continuing relationship with Port of Dover and are very excited about what the future holds.” 

 

Notes to editors:

The Port of Dover

The Port of Dover is Europe’s busiest international roll-on roll-off ferry port, operating services through P&O Ferries and DFDS to Calais and Dunkirk [the Port also operates successful cruise, cargo, marina and property businesses].

 

Geography and Economy

 

Dover provides the shortest crossing point between the UK and mainland Europe.

The Port of Dover has evolved over the past 60+ years to cater for high-speed just-in-time pan-European supply-chain movements.

Around half of the UK’s imports and exports are with the EU.

There is no substitutable capacity anywhere else in the UK that can take the type and volume of goods handled at Dover.

 

Annual statistics

 

Up to £122 billion of trade

Up to 17% of the UK’s trade in goods

5 million vehicles

2.6 million freight vehicles

growth of a third in just four years

2.4 million tourist vehicles

12 million passengers

 

Daily operations

 

12 ferries

60 departures

60 arrivals

45-50 minute turnaround

capacity for 120-150 trucks per ferry

Up to 10,000 freight vehicles

180km of freight traffic

400-500 freight vehicles per hour outbound at peak (and similar inbound)

Up to 90,000 passengers

processing over 1 per second

Ferry terminal constrained by cliffs, water and town

space for less than 1,500 freight vehicles (shared with tourist traffic)

space turned over 5-6 times per day (container ports turn their space over every 5-6 days)

 

The Kent Wildlife Trust

Kent Wildlife Trust is the leading conservation charity in Kent and Medway with over 30,000 members and 65 nature reserves covering over 3,200 hectares of land. They exist to protect the wildlife and natural habitats of the county and achieve this by:

Promoting the principles of sustainability and maintenance of biodiversity.

Safeguarding and managing valuable and threatened habitats as nature reserves.

Lobbying and persuading decision makers and landowners to reduce habitat loss and improve management of sites to benefit wildlife.

Raising public awareness and inspiring action is central to our work and every year they engage with thousands of individuals, through their broad-based education and community engagement programme.